Lord, I need Help for My Life - Part 1

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1125 Is Way generous with those who refresh of those supposedly refreshed. So if you fall regarding being generous and refreshing with a true cool drink all summer day with your text at all.how you use the free Christian media window for a road trip because it is not fun when you're feeling lawful majority of life that we have Turning Point of Jeremiah offers encouragement from some shows how God frightfully responds when you cry out to him to help today's message of hope and comfort mood. I need help for my life is and want to thank you for joining us today. We are moving from Psalm 71 to Psalm 121 and the title of lesson today is Lord, I need help for my life we're going to be dealing during the month of June with 10 of the most powerful Psalms that help us during times like this, there often referred to as the sheltering Psalms Psalms where you will see the word refuge where God is our refuge and our hope. He's the one under whose shade we live. David wrote he Psalms out of his own life there not just poems that he made up know these are things he wrote because what he was going through these of the reflections of David King David as he went through his pandemics, and as he was sheltering and his words are so inspiring and so encouraging and so uplifting and so strengthening. Today we began our discussion of Psalm 121 go there right now in one of Charles Schultz's famous Peanuts cartoons, Lucy is philosophizing about life as it is. She's in a real nostalgic mood and think about the deep things of life and she says Charlie Brown.

Life is well. It's like a deck chair. Some put the chair to see where they've been. Some put it where they can see where they are at the present, Charlie Brown says in the next frame. Lucy, I can't even get my deck chair unfolded and I know a lot of folks who feel that way about life. You know they don't know whether it's looking back to see what it's manner forward to see what it will be here looking at the present. I haven't even figured out what life is certain. Like the young businesswoman who was approached by a real estate agent who wanted to sell her home.

She said a home. I was born in the hospital. Educated in a boarding school, recorded in a car married in church wheat restaurants spend our mornings playing golf and spend their afternoons playing bridge at the club every night we go to a movie when I die to be buried from funeral home. I don't need a home. I need a garage that's all she needs. And that's where a lot of people are they just go in and go out and never stayed home.

You know what I'm talking about life can be such a frenetic pace for all of us in this generation in life is hard to figure out even if were believers.

How do we deal with life and all of its challenges from an unfolded deck chair to living out of a garage can be a very difficult thing to define in the words of the Bible. Life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes like grass that grows up for a season and then it's gone. One of the best pictures of life found throughout Scripture is that of a pilgrim who's on a journey through a land that is not his own. In the words of the old spiritual this world is not my home, I'm just passing through one of the best love stories of that journey. I remember reading the part of our devotional time when I was growing up as a kid, called Pilgrim's progress dramatically portrays the joys and dangers of the Christian life on this earth, we open our Bibles today to Psalm 121. We can hear the psalmist crying out Lord, I need help for my life. I need help for my journey. I don't know how to get from where I am to where I know I'm supposed to go. Lord, I need help I maybe ever made that prayer to the Lord, Lord, I need help for my life. That's the title of today's message for some hundred and 21 is known as a pilgrim. Psalm it gives us strength and courage for our journey through life is beautiful Psalm of just eight verses we are encouraged to trust God even when the things that happen to us are not our choice. The confidence that is expressed in Psalm 121 is rooted in the grandeur of the psalmist vision of God who is the maker of heaven and earth God, who can be trusted to help us in the mundane things of our life on this journey here below in spite of all the perils we face the mountainous terrain in the desert climate, we can trust the Lord. The psalmist reminds us that God is neither too great to care, nor are his people too insignificant for him to know us. The Psalm reflects on a God who calms our anxieties and watches over us like a shepherd who watches over his sheep known many of the translations of the Psalms, and if you look down at your Bible. I would imagine you probably have something like this at the beginning just over the Psalm there is a title and it's called a song of a sense and that is a wonderful superscription that reminds us that there are 15 Psalms.

With that title, beginning with Psalm 120 some hundred 21 is the second of this listing of Psalms and they are very important because scholars believe that these were songs that were sung when the Israelites would travel from the low lands of Palestine up to Jerusalem for their feast days they would start out and make their journey for the special celebrations at the Temple of Jerusalem and as they moved upward toward the temple at each level they would sing another one of the songs of Ascent. In fact, if you read them in order. You could almost see the progression from the outlying areas of the land up to the temple where the going to worship God. It was a pilgrimage. In fact, Psalm 42 in verse four catches just a little bit of the nuance of this. It says what I remember these things.

I pour out my soul within me, for I used to go with the multitude I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise with the multitude that kept the pilgrim feast and you get the feeling of these groups of people moving toward Jerusalem and singing the songs of Ascent as they went to their celebration to their feast days in the city. Also these songs were among those that were sung by the captives when they came back from their Babylonian exile and came back to their city. Will the Psalms for the pilgrimage to Jerusalem become metaphors for us today were not going up to Jerusalem for any feasts, but ours is a different journey from the low lands of this place to the place to which God has called us. And these songs have been such a great encouragement to many believers as they understand that these are trolls we need to know as we journey through this life. On our way to be with God for eternity.

This life is never meant to be portrayed in the Scripture is an easy place. A lot of times Christians are misled by that. They think that Christianity just sort of takes all the sting out of life makes it possibly afforded to sail through life. It's unfortunate that that truth gets sent abroad because when people face trouble in the disillusioned and disappointed. God never teaches us that he says were pilgrims and strangers in a foreign land where were not recognized were often were criticized and the journey through the mountainous terrain to the place to which God has called us, can often be difficult. There's truth in the Psalms to help us as we make our way out the Psalm itself has four stanzas but it's really just two sections.

The first two verses are section 1 in the last six verses are section 2 in the Psalm then falls into two separate categories.

First of all, let's notice the possibilities for help on Long Journeys Way, Psalm 121 verses one and two in the psalmist gives us some ideas as to where we can look when were trying to find help when we look first of all, were tempted to look around, look around us for help.

Psalmist says I will lift up mine eyes to the hills as he anticipates his journey through the mountains to Jerusalem. He looks to the hills she contemplates his journey he sees the route to the final destination with anxiety and anticipation. It's interesting if you study the Bible carefully how important the mountains are in the Bible. How many great things happened on a mountain sacrifice of Isaac, the Lord Jesus death on Mount Calvary, the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, the delivering of the message on Mount Olivet. All of the mountains and the Bible are so important and mountains, had a picture for people in those days that perhaps are not quite the same for us.

Although I must confess that mountains are very special to me. I bragged all my friends around the country that I'm 20 minutes away from mountains and 20 minutes away from the ocean, and that on a couple of days I've gone to both places in the same day fact. I know people that waterski and snow skiing on the same day just to be cute and to brag to their friends back east about the beautiful place in which they live. Mountains are majestic and I don't know of anything that calms my spirit or helps me to get things in perspective. More than take a drive up into the Laguna Mountains and just find a special place where you can get off and just think and look at the train in the beauty and grandeur, or something about the mountains that reminds you of the majesty of God. And so in the Old Testament. That's the way it was. Mountains often had a positive impact in the storyline of the Old Testament Scriptures. For instance, Isaiah 5512. You remember this you shall go out with joy and be let out with peace.

The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, or some hundred and 25 verses one and two speaks of it this way.

Those who trust in the Lord are like mine. Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever as the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore many many passages in the Old Testament that speak of the mountains as a place of blessing. How many of you know the mountains can also be a place of danger, hardly ever does a winner go by that we don't hear someone who's lost in the mountain terrain. Someone who went skiing and went off by themselves and gets lost because of its snow-covered there's no way for them to trace their steps backward in those days the mountains were a place of danger and hardship. There were animals and bandits.

Oftentimes false deities had their temples in the mountains and so the mountains not only had the feeling of majesty for the pilgrim, but it also had a feeling of danger and wonder what would happen.

So as the pilgrim in the psalmist day made his way to the mountain, he saw it as a place of fear and the place of hope was a place of danger and salvation mountains were the home of pagan deities and also the place where Jehovah God had his temple so the psalmist said I will look to the hills. Often we look around for help, only to discover that what we thought was going to be there leaves us a bit short when he decides when he looks around for help, he will look within. He says I will look up until the hills from whence cometh my help. It's interesting to me how often I've heard this Psalm sung or taught or even recited and I realize immediately that for a long time I misunderstood what it was. Meaning fact if you look down in your Bibles. If you have a new King James Bible. You notice that they corrected the punctuation in the Psalm for so many years we read the Psalm like this. I will look to the hills from whence cometh my help. And the idea was that somehow we were going to get help out of the mountains, but that's not what the Psalm says it all.

Psalmist says I will look unto the hills, almost. There and then the beginning of a new sentence from whence comes my help. In other words, the first sentence is a statement second statement is a question he looks to the hills and then he looks inwardly asked himself the question where my going to find any help is having a dialogue with himself disabled. That's not a real healthy thing to do, but we do it all the time.

Don't wait. When was the last time you said to yourself when my going to do is with the psalmist to say I will look to the hills. He knew we had to get through those hills to Jerusalem may ask himself the question from whence comes my help and looked around and then he looked within and finally he looked above in verse two he comes to the very strong affirmation of the song. He said my help comes from the Lord who makes heaven and earth.

Finally he comes to the point that is the whole secret to understanding these eight verses. He said I have looked around to the mountains without help.

I've looked within. I don't know where to go, but finally I looked up and I realize my help. All of my help comes from God.

What a lesson to learn. As we make our journey as pilgrims on this earth.

My help comes from the Lord, the Lord is described here is the God who made heaven and earth is not accidental. That's a great encouragement to us when we understand its meaning. Over and over again in the Old Testament. This is a little phrase that's attached to the blessings that the Jewish people passed one to another like some hundred and 15 verse 15 which is May you be blessed by the Lord made heaven and earth or some hundred and 34 in verse three the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion or some hundred 46.

Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God who made heaven and earth say why is that in their why is that tacked on. Let me tell you why the power of this statement is wrapped up in the idea that since God is the creator of all things and all things are his handiwork.

He has the power to help us when he was the creator has made everything that has been made and we come to him and say, God help were not only coming to a God, he was offered his help, but one he was able to extend it. How many of you know that God is not just the creator of all things. He is the sustainer of all things Paul writing to the Colossians reminded us that God is the one who created everything by him all things are created and at the end of the verse it says all things are in him and all things consist by him, which means they are held together by him. If God should forever a moment remove his hand from this universe would fly out into oblivion.

But God continues to sustain us.

He is the one who has created and the one who sustains so when you get on your journey to a place where you don't know what to do and you say Lord I need help just remember this the one whom you praise the one who made heaven and earth is the creator God friend on what kind of problem you got when you got a resume like God has he can help you. He can help you. What a great encouragement that really is the key to the whole song. This God who made heaven and earth is the one who has promised to be our helper, and in verses three through eight, we see the promises that have been made to us by Almighty God to help us along the way.

It's interesting that in verse three. The person of the speaker changes remove from a first-person declaration to 1/3 person. For those of you more into grammar. You can check it out with the personal pronouns in the song.

Some have thought that a whole new person is speaking in verse three. In other words, that in verses one into the psalmist is asked the questions in verses three through eight somebody reps like a priest comes along and makes the answers, but I don't think that's what's going on at all. I think this is an internal dialogue in the heart of the psalmist asking questions of God and then framing the answers and writing down for our benefit. There are three things that he comes to in these eight verses about God that will help you as you put your trust in him.

When you cry out to God.

Here's what you need to remember.

First of all, he perceives you he knows you. How many of you are glad that God knows who you are is unbelievable the God who made heaven and earth knows who you are.

He does, he knows you by name. I've been having a lot of fun looking in the mirror every day and being reminded that he numbers the hair on my head. I've been known to count them just recently seen Howard doing God not taking good care of that watching over the crumpets grow and you know if God knows the number of the hairs on your head. Don't you think he knows what your problem is. Don't you think he knows what you're going through, don't you think he's concerned about what your experiences when you say God I need your help.

God knows he perceives you notice what the text says he will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep this Lord. This maker of heaven and earth is perceived here as 103 times.

The psalmist says doesn't go to sleep on your remember reading a story about a man by the name of Bishop Quayle who was a leader in the Methodist Church years ago.

He related experience of the Lord's providence in his life. He said one night he worked into the early morning hours trying to finish his work and he was so tired.

The projects were overwhelming at a moment of intense pressure is I fell on the 121st Psalm, and the promise of the Lord's 24 hour vigil over him. He said he was reminded that his efforts to work for God, rather than allowing God to work through him or defeating an extremely exhausting so in his inner voice he heard the Lord say to him in his heart. The Lord said Quayle. There's no need for both of us to stay up all night. I want to stay up anyway so you go to bed and get a good sleep. I thought well it's a great truth in it. How many of you have ever walked the fortnight over your kids are going to walk the floor over some sickness that you know the answer to, or some problem in your life you worry and frustrate wonder who's taking care of things and all of a sudden you read the Bible that the God in whom you trusted the one you asked for help, you know, never sleep. He never slumbers he never takes a day off is never gone on a journey out of town.

God is always there whenever you call opponent, I'm surprised. As I travel across the country. We have some releases of Turning Point could come on at 3 o'clock in the morning 4 o'clock in the morning I was thought well will put it on there maybe some truck will hear it while it's drive across the country, but everywhere I go I find dozens and scores of people who are night people, people who for some reason or another because of arthritic pain or whatever can't sleep and so they turn the radio on at night. I have a book in my library by a wonderful friend by the name of Ron meal in the title of book is this God works the night shift is not a great thought. He's always there, no matter when you need him in the loneliest darkest hour of the night he's there because he doesn't sleep. He doesn't slumber member old Elijah in the Old Testament, we had the battle with the prophets of bail amount Carmel. And you know they were both them and find out who the real God was.

I love the story, and Elijah, challenge the prophets of bail. He said were to put a sacrifice on their altars and call upon God to come down and consume it with fire so he gave them. You know the let them go first and from morning until noon, the prophets of bail cried out to their God to come down and consume the sacrifice and nothing happened and you can just see the panic in their voices are crying out to God all God come down and consume this and long about noon when their time was about up. Elijah did something that no preacher should ever do because already told you the sarcasm doesn't have any place in our life, but he had a little mean streak and Elijah did and he couldn't resist because he already knew what was going on, so he decided he'd mock him a little bit and I read this with the smiled. I'm not telling this a good pattern to follow your own life with is what Elijah did read what he said and it was known that Elijah mocked them and he said cry aloud, for he is a God. Either he is meditating he is busy or is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and you have to wake him up. I love it. It was a crated man tell you what, you gotta be will secure to do that because he was next right.

He was in a call on his God.

But isn't it interesting how wonderful the truth is in the word of God. The God never goes to sleep on us is always there when Alexander the great was asked how he could sleep so soundly surrounded by so much personal danger.

He replied on one occasion that for many of his faithful guard was watching so he could sleep my friend the great general can sleep when an earthly guard watches over him by night. How much more should we sleep knowing that our eternal God is watching over us and he never slumbers and he never sleeps. He perceives us.

God sees us and we wonder if anybody cares about what you're experiencing right now it is anybody watching as anybody see you wherever you may be whatever situation you may find yourself in today. God sees you. He really does. He sees you and he cares deeply about you and if you will throw your case to him if you cast your care upon him, he will care for you. That's the message that's coming out of the psalmist to us as we work through these wonderful portions of God's word and call the sheltering Psalms of David Jeremiah, this is Turning Point. These are special days when God is speaking to us and we hope you'll join us for our next session on this station. For more information on the Jeremiah series bring you a roomful visit our website really offered to freeways to help you stay connected monthly magazine Turning Point and have daily email devotion sign up today@davidjeremiah.org/radio David Jeremiah don't move./Radio when you do for your copy of David's helpful shelter in the short to be an encouragement to you during this unprecedented thought was a gift of any amount which is the Jeremiah study Bible and the English standard and new international version as well as in standard a large print in the new King in a variety of, option, visit David Jeremiah don't build/radio on Barry, who join us tomorrow as we continue the series. When you look falls upon the Tehran thinning point with the Jeremiah taking time to listen to on tonight from these increased in size and